US20090094635A1 - System and Method for Presenting Advertisement Content on a Mobile Platform During Travel - Google Patents

Abstract

An advertisement system for passenger vehicles, such as automobiles and aircraft, and methods for manufacturing and using same. The advertisement system includes at least one advertisement content source that is configured to communicate with a vehicle information system installed aboard the passenger vehicle. When a system user selects viewing content available from the vehicle information system for presentation, the advertisement content source can combine advertising content with the selected viewing content to generate an aggregate play list. During presentation of the aggregate play list, the advertisement system can measure and/or analyze the user response to the presented advertisement content. The advertisement system advantageously can be provided as a part of an overall strategy for managing sales of advertising and providing advertisement-trafficking services via an interactive vehicle information system.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
• This application claims priority to U.S. provisional patent application, Ser. No. 60/977,760, filed on Oct. 5, 2007. Priority to the provisional patent applications is expressly claimed, and the disclosure of the provisional application is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety and for all purposes.
FIELD
• The present disclosure relates generally to information systems and more particularly, but not exclusively, to vehicle information systems suitable for presenting selected advertisement content during travel.
BACKGROUND
• Vehicles, such as automobiles and aircraft, often include vehicle information systems for satisfying passenger demand for access to viewing content, such as entertainment, information content, or other viewing content, while traveling.
• Conventional passenger information (or entertainment) systems typically include overhead cabin video systems or seat-based video systems with individual controls such that viewing content is selectable by the passengers. The viewing content can include audio and video content that is derived from a variety of content sources. Prerecorded viewing content, such as motion pictures and music, can be provided by internal content sources, such as audio and video players, that are installed aboard the vehicle. The conventional passenger information systems likewise can include an antenna system for receiving viewing content, such as live television programming and/or Internet content, transmitted from one or more content providers (or sources) that are external to, and/or remote from, the vehicle.
• Further, vehicle passengers have long been considered to be an attractive and valued audience by advertisers. During travel, the vehicle provides an environment wherein the passengers comprise an audience that is literally waiting to be engaged. Media planners (or buyers) and other advertisers are looking for exactly such an audience. Although interactive entertainment and other information availability at the passenger seats has become widespread over the past ten years, the presentation of advertisement content during travel remains a low priority for media planners. One roadblock to providing advertisement content during travel is a lack of a “single” travel media. Instead, dozens of different media forms and networks exist and are scattered throughout the world. Hundreds of individual value propositions are sold through many different channels; however, the individual value propositions are fragmented, difficult to understand, inefficient to purchase, and largely unaccountable with respect to campaign performance.
• In view of the foregoing, a need exists for an improved passenger information system and method for presenting advertisement content during travel in an effort to overcome the aforementioned obstacles and deficiencies of conventional passenger information systems.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
• FIG. 1A is an exemplary top-level drawing illustrating an embodiment of an advertisement system, wherein the advertisement system includes an advertisement content system that is in communication with an information system.
• FIG. 1B is an exemplary top-level drawing illustrating an alternative embodiment of the advertisement system ofFIG. 1A, wherein the advertisement system is provided as an Internet-based advertisement server system.
• FIG. 2A is an exemplary top-level drawing illustrating the information system ofFIG. 1, wherein the information system comprises a vehicle information system installed aboard an automobile.
• FIG. 2B is an exemplary top-level drawing illustrating the vehicle information system ofFIG. 2A, wherein the vehicle information system is installed aboard an aircraft and is configured to communicate with the content system ofFIG. 1.
• FIG. 3 is an exemplary detail drawing illustrating one preferred embodiment of a distribution system for the vehicle information systems ofFIGS. 2A-B.
• FIG. 4A is an exemplary top-level drawing illustrating a passenger cabin of a vehicle, wherein the vehicle information system ofFIGS. 2A-B has been installed.
• FIG. 4B is an exemplary top-level drawing illustrating an embodiment of the vehicle information system ofFIG. 4A, wherein the vehicle information system is in communication with the personal media device ofFIG. 1.
• FIG. 5A is an exemplary block diagram illustrating an embodiment of the advertisement system ofFIGS. 1A-B, wherein the advertisement system is configured for use with the vehicle information system ofFIG. 2B.
• FIG. 5B is an exemplary block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a menu system for use with the advertisement system ofFIG. 5A, wherein the menu system includes an advertisement impression for selecting targeted advertising content.
• FIG. 6 is an exemplary block diagram illustrating an alternative embodiment of the advertisement system ofFIGS. 1A-B, wherein the vehicle information system includes an advertisement content source.
• FIGS. 7A-Z are exemplary block diagrams illustrating a selected operation of the advertisement system ofFIG. 6, wherein advertisement content is included with viewing content selected for presentation at a passenger seat.
• FIG. 8 is an exemplary detail drawing illustrating an embodiment of the advertisement system ofFIG. 6.
• It should be noted that the figures are not drawn to scale and that elements of similar structures or functions are generally represented by like reference numerals for illustrative purposes throughout the figures. It also should be noted that the figures are only intended to facilitate the description of the preferred embodiments. The figures do not illustrate every aspect of the described embodiments and do not limit the scope of the present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
• Since currently-available passenger information systems are not suitable for presenting advertisement content due to fragmentation, complexity, and a lack of standards, an information system that can present advertisement content can prove desirable and provide a basis for a wide range of system applications, such as vehicle information systems for use aboard automobiles, aircraft, and other types of vehicles during travel. This result can be achieved, according to one embodiment disclosed herein, by anadvertisement system400 as illustrated inFIG. 1A.
• Turning toFIG. 1A, theadvertisement system400 can include at least oneadvertisement content source410 that is configured to communicate with at least oneinformation system100. Theadvertisement system400 advantageously can be provided as a part of an overall strategy for managing sales of advertising and providing advertisement-trafficking services via theinteractive information system100. For example, theadvertisement system400 can support sales of “new media” advertising in the form of banners, pop-ups, buttons, skyscrapers, and/or micro-sites in any conventional size, geometry, orientation, and/or media format, such as a static format and/or a rich-media format. The “new media” advertising can be provided in any conventional manner, such as via one or more impressions630 (shown inFIG. 5B).
• Exemplary advertisement-trafficking services for a selected advertising campaign can includeprogramming advertisement content210A for the advertising campaign into theadvertisement content source410, presenting the programmedadvertisement content210A via theinformation system100, measuring auser response210R (shown inFIG. 5A) to the presentedadvertisement content210A, and/or analyzing the measureduser response210R. Theadvertisement system400 thereby can enable advertisers (or advertising agencies) to reach a large, diverse group of system users (or passengers)412 (shown inFIG. 1B) who use theinformation system100. As such, use of theinformation system100 can be commercialized, improving advertiser access tosystem users412, while enhancing the user experience.
• To implement this overall strategy, theadvertisement system400 can provide a service-delivery infrastructure for developing, deploying, and/or managing an advertisement-sales system, advertisement-trafficking system, and/or an advertisement-serving system420 (shown inFIG. 5A). Theadvertisement system400 thereby can be provided in the manner that systems and/or services are available on theInternet310C (shown inFIG. 2B). For example, eachadvertisement content source410 can be provided in the manner set forth in the co-pending U.S. patent applications, entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DOWNLOADING FILES,” Ser. No. 10/772,565, filed on Feb. 4, 2004; entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MANAGING CONTENT ON MOBILE PLATFORMS,” Ser. No. 11/123,327, filed on May 6, 2005; entitled “PORTABLE MEDIA DEVICE AND METHOD FOR PRESENTING VIEWING CONTENT DURING TRAVEL,” Ser. No. 11/154,749, filed on Jun. 15, 2005; and entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR RECEIVING BROADCAST CONTENT ON A MOBILE PLATFORM DURING INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL,” Ser. No. 11/269,378, filed on Nov. 7, 2005; entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR INTERFACING A PORTABLE MEDIA DEVICE WITH A VEHICLE INFORMATION SYSTEM,” Ser. No. 12/210,624, filed on Sep. 15, 2008; entitled “PORTABLE USER CONTROL DEVICE AND METHOD FOR VEHICLE INFORMATION SYSTEMS,” Ser. No. 12/210,689, filed on Sep. 15, 2008; and entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR RECEIVING BROADCAST CONTENT ON A MOBILE PLATFORM DURING TRAVEL,” application Ser. No. 12/237,253, filed on Sep. 24, 2008, which are assigned to the assignee of the present application and the respective disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
• Theadvertisement system400, for example, can offer branded content publications that are informative and/or entertaining and that are configured to accept Internet-standard advertisement content as illustrated inFIG. 1B. As shown inFIG. 1B, theadvertisement system400 can be provided as an Internet-based advertisement server system and can include anadvertisement content source410 that communicates with apublication source414.Publication content210P provided by thepublication source414 andadvertisement content210A provided by theadvertisement content source410 can be presented to theuser412. Thepublication content210P and theadvertisement content210A preferably is provided in an Internet-standard advertisement format and measurements, such the format and measurements set forth by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), and/or is combined and presented simultaneously to theuser412. The combinedpublication content210P andadvertisement content210A can be provided to acontent source310 of theinformation system100 for storage and subsequent retrieval.
• As desired, theadvertisement system400 can create and/or accumulate an inventory ofavailable advertisement content210A. The inventory ofavailable advertisement content210A thereby can comprise a predetermined number of available impressions630 (shown inFIG. 5B) that can be sold, stored via theadvertisement content source410, and/or presented via theinformation system100. For instance, the inventory ofavailable advertisement content210A can be provided as a function of a number of advertisement placements on each page of a selected branded content publication, a number of pages of the branded content publication that can accept theadvertisement content210A, a refresh rate for presenting theadvertisement content210A on each page, and a rate by which theadvertisement content210A is viewed by a selected audience ofsystem users412. Theadvertisement system400 thereby can consolidate and grow the accessible audience ofsystem users412 by offering operators of theinformation systems100, such as arcade operators and/or vehicle operators, branded content publications and/or a share of any advertisement revenue.
• When in communication with theadvertisement content source410, theinformation system100 supports two-way communications with theadvertisement content source410. Theinformation system100, for example, can exchange viewing content210 (shown inFIGS. 2A-B), including theadvertisement content210A, with theadvertisement content source410. Theadvertisement content210A can include audio viewing content and/or video viewing content and can be communicated (or downloaded) from theadvertisement content source410 to theinformation system100 for presentation via a video presentation system362 (shown inFIGS. 4A-B) and/or an audio presentation system364 (shown inFIGS. 4A-B) of theinformation system100. User interaction to theadvertisement content210A likewise can be can be communicated (or uploaded) to theadvertisement content source410 from theinformation system100, as desired.
• Theadvertising content210A can comprise any conventional type of audio and/orvideo viewing content210 in the above-referenced co-pending U.S. patent applications, entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DOWNLOADING FILES,” Ser. No. 10/772,565, filed on Feb. 4, 2004; entitled “PORTABLE MEDIA DEVICE AND METHOD FOR PRESENTING VIEWING CONTENT DURING TRAVEL,” Ser. No. 11/154,749, filed on Jun. 15, 2005; and entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR RECEIVING BROADCAST CONTENT ON A MOBILE PLATFORM DURING INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL,” Ser. No. 11/269,378, filed on Nov. 7, 2005.Exemplary viewing content210 can include television programming content, music content, podcast content, photograph album content, audiobook content, and/or movie content without limitation.
• As desired, theviewing content210 can include geographical information in the manner set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 6,661,353, entitled “METHOD FOR DISPLAYING INTERACTIVE FLIGHT MAP INFORMATION,” which is assigned to the assignee of the present application and the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Alternatively, and/or additionally, to entertainment content, such as live satellite television programming and/or live satellite radio programming, the viewing content likewise can include two-way communications, such as real-time access to theInternet310C (shown inFIG. 2B) and/or telecommunications in the manner set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 5,568,484, entitled “TELECOMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR USE ON COMMERCIAL AIRCRAFT AND OTHER VEHICLES,” which is assigned to the assignee of the present application and the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. It is understood that the exemplary viewing content as shown and described herein are not exhaustive and are provided herein for purposes of illustration only and not for purposes of limitation.
• Although theinformation system100 can be disposed in a fixed location, such as a building, theinformation system100 likewise can advantageously be applied in portable system applications. Turning toFIGS. 2A-B, theinformation system100 is shown as comprising avehicle information system300 that can be configured for installation aboard a wide variety ofvehicles390. Exemplary types of vehicles can include anautomobile390A (shown inFIG. 2A), anaircraft390B (shown inFIG. 2B), a bus, a recreational vehicle, a boat, and/or a locomotive, or any other type of passenger vehicle without limitation. If installed on anaircraft390B as illustrated inFIG. 2B, for example, thevehicle information system300 can comprise a conventional aircraft passenger in-flight entertainment system, such as the Series 2000, 3000, eFX, and/or eX2 in-flight entertainment system as manufactured by Panasonic Avionics Corporation (formerly known as Matsushita Avionics Systems Corporation) of Lake Forest, Calif.
• As shown inFIGS. 2A-B, thevehicle information system300 comprises at least oneconventional content source310 and one or more user (or passenger)interface systems360 that communicate via a real-timecontent distribution system320. Eachcontent source310 can be provided in the manner set forth in the above-referenced co-pending U.S. patent applications “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DOWNLOADING FILES,” Ser. No. 10/772,565, filed on Feb. 4, 2004; entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MANAGING CONTENT ON MOBILE PLATFORMS,” Ser. No. 11/123,327, filed on May 6, 2005; entitled “PORTABLE MEDIA DEVICE AND METHOD FOR PRESENTING VIEWING CONTENT DURING TRAVEL,” Ser. No. 11/154,749, filed on Jun. 15, 2005; and entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR RECEIVING BROADCAST CONTENT ON A MOBILE PLATFORM DURING INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL,” Ser. No. 11/269,378, filed on Nov. 7, 2005; entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR INTERFACING A PORTABLE MEDIA DEVICE WITH A VEHICLE INFORMATION SYSTEM,” Ser. No. 12/210,624, filed on Sep. 15, 2008; and “PORTABLE USER CONTROL DEVICE AND METHOD FOR VEHICLE INFORMATION SYSTEMS,” Ser. No. 12/210,689, filed on Sep. 15, 2008.
• Thecontent sources310 can include one or more internal content sources, such asserver system310A, that are installed aboard thevehicle390 and/or remote (or terrestrial)content sources310B that can be external from thevehicle390. Theserver system310A can be provided as an information system controller for providing overall system control functions for thevehicle information system300 and/or at least one media (or file) server system, as illustrated inFIGS. 2A-B), for storing preprogrammed content and/or downloadedviewing content210D, as desired. Theserver system310A can include, and/or communicate with, one or more conventional peripheral media storage systems (not shown), including optical media devices, such as a digital video disk (DVD) system or a compact disk (CD) system, and/or magnetic media systems, such as a video cassette recorder (VCR) system or a hard disk drive (HDD) system, of any suitable kind, for storing the preprogrammed content and/or the downloadedviewing content210D.
• Being configured to distribute and/or present theviewing content210 provided by one or more selectedcontent sources310, such as aadvertisement content source410, thevehicle information system300 can communicate with thecontent sources310 in real time and in any conventional manner, including via wired and/or wireless communications. Thevehicle information system300 and theterrestrial content source310B, for example, can communicate in any conventional wireless manner, including directly and/or indirectly via anintermediate communication system370, such as asatellite communication system370A. Thevehicle information system300 thereby can receivedownload viewing content210D from a selectedterrestrial content source310B and/or transmit uploadviewing content210U, including navigation and other control instructions, to theterrestrial content source310B. As desired, theterrestrial content source310B can be configured to communicate with other terrestrial content sources (not shown). Theterrestrial content source310B is shown inFIG. 2B as providing access to theInternet310C. Although shown and described as comprising thesatellite communication system370A for purposes of illustration, it is understood that thecommunication system370 can comprise any conventional type of wireless communication system, such as a cellular communication system (not shown) and/or an Aircraft Ground Information System (AGIS) communication system (not shown).
• To facilitate communications with theterrestrial content sources310B, thevehicle information system300 can include anantenna system330 and atransceiver system340 for receiving the viewing content from the remote (or terrestrial)content sources310B as shown inFIGS. 2A-B. Theantenna system330 preferably is disposed outside thevehicle390, such as anexterior surface394 of afuselage392 of theaircraft390B. Theantenna system330 can receiveviewing content210 from theterrestrial content source310B and provide the receivedviewing content210, as processed by thetransceiver system340, to acomputer system350 of thevehicle information system300. Thecomputer system350 can provide the receivedviewing content210 to the media (or content)server system310A and/or to one or more of theuser interfaces360, as desired. Although shown and described as being separate systems for purposes of illustration, thecomputer system350 and themedia server system310A can be at least partially integrated.
• The vehicle information system elements, including thecontent sources310 and theuser interface systems360, are shown inFIGS. 2A-B as communicating via thecontent distribution system320.FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplarycontent distribution system320 for thevehicle information system300. Thecontent distribution system320 ofFIG. 3 couples, and supports communication between aheadend system310H, which includes thecontent sources310, and the plurality ofuser interface systems360. Thedistribution system320 as shown inFIG. 3 is provided in the manner set forth co-pending U.S. patent application, entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ROUTING COMMUNICATION SIGNALS VIA A DATA DISTRIBUTION NETWORK,” Ser. No. 11/277,896, filed on Mar. 29, 2006, and in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,596,647, 5,617,331, and 5,953,429, each entitled “INTEGRATED VIDEO AND AUDIO SIGNAL DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR USE ON COMMERCIAL AIRCRAFT AND OTHER VEHICLES,” which are assigned to the assignee of the present application and the respective disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
• Thecontent distribution system320, for example, can be provided as a conventional wired and/or wireless communication network, including a telephone network, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a campus area network (CAN), personal area network (PAN) and/or a wireless local area network (WLAN), of any kind. Exemplary wireless local area networks include wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) networks in accordance with Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Standard 802.11 and/or wireless metropolitan-area networks (MANs), which also are known as WiMax Wireless Broadband, in accordance with IEEE Standard 802.16. Preferably being configured to support high data transfer rates, thecontent distribution system320 preferably comprises a high-speed Ethernet network, such as any type of Fast Ethernet (such as 100Base-X and/or 100Base-T) communication network and/or Gigabit (such as 1000Base-X and/or 1000Base-T) Ethernet communication network, with a typical data transfer rate of at least approximately one hundred megabits per second (100 Mbps). To achieve high data transfer rates in a wireless communications environment, free-space optics (or laser) technology, millimeter wave (or microwave) technology, and/or Ultra-Wideband (UWB) technology can be utilized to support communications among the various system resources, as desired.
• As desired, thedistribution system320 likewise can include a network management system (not shown) provided in the manner set forth in co-pending U.S. patent applications, entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR IMPROVING NETWORK RELIABILITY,” Ser. No. 10/773,523, filed on Feb. 6, 2004, and entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR IMPROVING NETWORK RELIABILITY,” Ser. No. 11/086,510, filed on Mar. 21, 2005, which are assigned to the assignee of the present application and the respective disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
• As illustrated inFIG. 3, thedistribution system320 can be provided as a plurality of area distribution boxes (ADBs)322, a plurality of floor disconnect boxes (FDBs)323, and a plurality of seat electronics boxes (SEBs) (and/or premium seat electronics boxes (PSEBs))324 being configured to communicate in real time via a plurality of wired and/orwireless communication connections325. Thedistribution system320 likewise can include aswitching system321 for providing an interface between thedistribution system320 and theheadend system310H. Theswitching system321 can comprise a conventional switching system, such as an Ethernet switching system, and is configured to couple theheadend system310H with thearea distribution boxes322. Each of thearea distribution boxes322 is coupled with, and communicates with, theswitching system321.
• Each of thearea distribution boxes322, in turn, is coupled with, and communicates with, at least onefloor disconnect box323. Although thearea distribution boxes322 and the associatedfloor disconnect boxes323 can be coupled in any conventional configuration, the associatedfloor disconnect boxes323 preferably are disposed in a star network topology about a centralarea distribution box322 as illustrated inFIG. 3. Eachfloor disconnect box323 is coupled with, and services, a plurality of daisy-chains ofseat electronics boxes324. Theseat electronics boxes324, in turn, are configured to communicate with theuser interface systems360. Eachseat electronics box324 can support one or more of theuser interface systems360.
• The switchingsystems321, the area distribution boxes (ADBs)322, the floor disconnect boxes (FDBs)323, the seat electronics boxes (SEBs) (and/or premium seat electronics boxes (PSEBs))324, and other system resources of thecontent distribution system320 preferably are provided as line replaceable units (LRUs) (not shown). Exemplary other system resources of thecontent distribution system320 can include a broadband antenna system512, a broadband control system514 (shown inFIG. 6), a wireless access point368 (shown inFIG. 6), a crew terminal (or panel)524 (shown inFIGS. 7A-C), an aircraft interface system522 (shown inFIG. 6), and/or a system controller530 (shown inFIG. 7B). The use of LRUs facilitate maintenance of thevehicle information system300 because a defective LRU can simply be removed from thevehicle information system300 and replaced with a new (or different) LRU. The defective LRU thereafter can be repaired for subsequent installation. Advantageously, the use of LRUs can promote flexibility in configuring thecontent distribution system320 by permitting ready modification of the number, arrangement, and/or configuration of the system resources of thecontent distribution system320. Thecontent distribution system320 likewise can be readily upgraded by replacing any obsolete LRUs with new LRUs.
• As desired, the floor disconnect boxes (FDBs)323 advantageously can be provided as routing systems and/or interconnected in the manner set forth in the above-referenced co-pending U.S. patent application, entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ROUTING COMMUNICATION SIGNALS VIA A DATA DISTRIBUTION NETWORK,” Ser. No. 11/277,896, filed on Mar. 29, 2006. Thedistribution system320 can include at least one FDB internalport bypass connection325A and/or at least oneSEB loopback connection325B. Each FDB internalport bypass connection325A is acommunication connection325 that permitsfloor disconnect boxes323 associated with differentarea distribution boxes322 to directly communicate. EachSEB loopback connection325B is acommunication connection325 that directly couples the lastseat electronics box324 in each daisy-chain ofseat electronics boxes324 for a selectedfloor disconnect box323 as shown inFIG. 3. EachSEB loopback connection325B therefore forms a loopback path among the daisy-chainedseat electronics boxes324 coupled with the relevantfloor disconnect box323.
• Returning toFIGS. 2A-B, theuser interface systems360 are provided for selectingviewing content210 and for presenting the selectedviewing content210. As desired, theuser interface systems360 can comprise conventional passenger interfaces and can be provided in the manner set forth in the above-referenced co-pending U.S. patent application, entitled “PORTABLE MEDIA DEVICE AND METHOD FOR PRESENTING VIEWING CONTENT DURING TRAVEL,” Ser. No. 11/154,749, filed on Jun. 15, 2005, as well as in the manner set forth in the co-pending U.S. patent application, entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PRESENTING HIGH-QUALITY VIDEO TO PASSENGERS ON A MOBILE PLATFORM,” Ser. No. 60/673,171, filed on Apr. 19, 2005, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
• FIG. 4A provides a view of apassenger cabin380 of apassenger vehicle390, such as theautomobile390A (shown inFIG. 2A) and/or theaircraft390B (shown inFIG. 2B), aboard which thevehicle information system300 has been installed. Thepassenger cabin380 is illustrated as including a plurality ofpassenger seats382, and eachpassenger seat382 is associated with a selecteduser interface system360. Eachuser interface system360 can include avideo interface system362 and/or anaudio interface system364. Exemplaryvideo interface systems362 can include overheadcabin display systems362A with central controls,seatback display systems362B or armrest display systems (not shown) each with individualized controls, crew display panels, and/or handheld presentation systems. Theaudio interface systems364 can be provided in any conventional manner, including anoverhead speaker system364A, the handheld presentation systems, and/or headphones coupled with an audio jack provided, for example, at anarmrest388 of thepassenger seat382. A speaker system likewise can be associated with thepassenger seat382, such as aspeaker system364B disposed within abase384B of thepassenger seat382 and/or aspeaker system364C disposed within aheadrest384C of thepassenger seat382. In a preferred embodiment, theaudio interface system364 can include an optional noise-cancellation system for further improving sound quality produced by theaudio interface system364.
• Thevideo interface systems362 and theaudio interface systems364 can be installed at any suitable cabin surface, such as aseatback386,wall396, ceiling, and/or bulkhead, or anarmrest388 of apassenger seat382 in any conventional manner including via a mountingsystem363 provided in the manner set forth co-pending U.S. patent applications, entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MOUNTING USER INTERFACE DEVICES,” Ser. No. 11/828,193, filed on Jul. 25, 2007, and entitled “USER INTERFACE DEVICE AND METHOD FOR PRESENTING VIEWING CONTENT,” Ser. No. 11/835,371, filed on Aug. 7, 2007, which are assigned to the assignee of the present application and the respective disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
• As shown inFIG. 4A, theuser interface system360 likewise can include auser input system366 for permitting the user (or passenger) to communicate with thevehicle information system300, such as via an exchange of control signals220. For example, theuser input system366 can permit the user to enter one ormore user instructions230 for controlling the operation of thevehicle information system300.Illustrative user instructions230 can include instructions for initiating communication with thecontent source310, instructions for selectingviewing content210 for presentation, and/or instructions for controlling the presentation of the selectedviewing content210. If a fee is required for accessing theviewing content210, payment information likewise can be entered via theuser input system366.
• Theuser input system366 can be provided in any conventional manner and typically includes one or more switches (or pushbuttons), such as a keyboard or a keypad, and/or a pointing device, such as a mouse, trackball, or stylus. As desired, theuser input system366 can be at least partially integrated with, and/or separable from, the associatedvideo interface system362 and/oraudio interface system364. For example, thevideo interface system362 and theuser input system366 can be provided as a touchscreen display system. Theuser input system366 likewise can include one or more input ports (not shown) for coupling a peripheral input device (not shown), such as a full-size computer keyboard, an external mouse, and/or a game pad, with thevehicle information system300.
• Preferably, at least one of theuser interface systems360 includes a wired and/orwireless access point368, such as a conventional communication port (or connector), for coupling a personal media device200 (shown inFIG. 4B) with thevehicle information system300. Passengers (or users)412 (shown inFIG. 5A) who are traveling aboard thevehicle390 thereby can enjoy personally-selected viewing content during travel. Theaccess point368 is located proximally to an associatedpassenger seat382 and can be provided at any suitable cabin surface, such as aseatback386,wall396, ceiling, and/or bulkhead.
• Turning toFIG. 4B, thevehicle information system300 is shown as communicating with one or morepersonal media devices200. Eachpersonal media device200 can store the audio and/orvideo viewing content210 and can be provided as a handheld device, such as a laptop computer, a palmtop computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), cellular telephone, an iPod® digital electronic media device, an iPhone® digital electronic media device, and/or a MPEG Audio Layer 3 (MP3) device. Illustrativepersonal media devices200 are shown and described in the co-pending U.S. patent applications, entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DOWNLOADING FILES,” Ser. No. 10/772,565, filed on Feb. 4, 2004; entitled “PORTABLE MEDIA DEVICE AND METHOD FOR PRESENTING VIEWING CONTENT DURING TRAVEL,” Ser. No. 11/154,749, filed on Jun. 15, 2005; and entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR RECEIVING BROADCAST CONTENT ON A MOBILE PLATFORM DURING INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL,” Ser. No. 11/269,378, filed on Nov. 7, 2005; entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR INTERFACING A PORTABLE MEDIA DEVICE WITH A VEHICLE INFORMATION SYSTEM,” Ser. No. 12/210,624, filed on Sep. 15, 2008; entitled “MEDIA DEVICE INTERFACE SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR VEHICLE INFORMATION SYSTEMS,” Ser. No. 12/210,636, filed on Sep. 15, 2008; entitled “MEDIA DEVICE INTERFACE SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR VEHICLE INFORMATION SYSTEMS,” Ser. No. 12/210,652, filed on Sep. 15, 2008; and “PORTABLE USER CONTROL DEVICE AND METHOD FOR VEHICLE INFORMATION SYSTEMS,” Ser. No. 12/210,689, filed on Sep. 15, 2008, which are assigned to the assignee of the present application and the respective disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
• The illustratedpersonal media devices200 each include avideo display system240 for visually presenting theviewing content210 and anaudio system250 for audibly presenting theviewing content210. Eachpersonal media device200 can include auser control system260, which can be provided in any conventional manner and typically includes one or more switches (or pushbuttons), such as a keyboard or a keypad, and/or a pointing device, such as a mouse, trackball, or stylus. Thepersonal media devices200 thereby can select desiredviewing content210 and control the manner in which the selectedviewing content210 is received and/or presented.
• Thepersonal media devices200 likewise include a communication port (or connector)270. Thecommunication port270 enables thepersonal media devices200 to communicate with thevehicle information system300 via theaccess points368 of theuser interface systems360. As illustrated withpersonal media device200A, thecommunication port270 and theaccess points368 can supported wireless communications; whereas, support for wired communications between thecommunication port270 and theaccess points368 via acommunication cable assembly500 is shown withpersonal media device200B. When thecommunication port270 and theaccess points368 are in communication, thevehicle information system300 supports a simple manner for permitting the associatedpersonal media device200 to be integrated with thevehicle information system300 using a user-friendly communication interface.
• When thepersonal media device200 and thevehicle information system300 are in communication, thevehicle information system300 can perform a plurality of integration tasks simultaneously, enabling thepersonal media device200 to become fully integrated with thevehicle information system300 via a selectedaccess point368. The system elements of thevehicle information system300 and thepersonal media device200 thereby become interchangeable. Thepersonal media device200 likewise can receive control signals (or commands)220 and/oroperating power220P from thevehicle information system300. Thereby, thepersonal media device200 advantageously can become a seamless part of thevehicle information system300.
• For example, user instructions230 (shown inFIGS. 2A-B) for controlling the operation of thevehicle information system300 can be provided via theuser input system366 of thevehicle information system300 and/or theuser control system260 of thepersonal media device200. In other words, theuser input system366 of thevehicle information system300 and/or theuser control system260 of thepersonal media device200 can be used to selectviewing content210 and control the manner in which the selectedviewing content210 is received and/or presented. The selectedviewing content210 can be provided by a relevant content source310 (shown inFIGS. 2A-B) of thevehicle information system300 and/or by storage media (not shown) disposed within thepersonal media device200. A video portion of the selectedviewing content210 thereby can be presented via thevideo presentation system362 of thevehicle information system300 and/or thevideo display system240 of thepersonal media device200. Theaudio presentation system364 of thevehicle information system300 and/or theaudio system250 of thepersonal media device200 can be used to present an audio portion of the selectedviewing content210. If thevideo display system240 of thepersonal media device200 is much smaller than thevideo presentation system362 of thevehicle information system300, a passenger may prefer to view the selectedviewing content210 via the largervideo presentation system362.
• When no longer in use and/or direct physical contact with thepersonal media device200 is not otherwise required, thepersonal media device200 can be stored at thepassenger seat382. For example, thepassenger seat382 can include astorage compartment389 for providing storage of thepersonal media device200. Thestorage compartment389 can be provided in any conventional manner and at any suitable portion of thepassenger seat382. As illustrated withpassenger seat382B, thepersonal media device200 can be placed in astorage pocket389B formed in thearmrest388 of thepassenger seat382B. Thestorage compartment389 likewise can be provided on theseatback386 and/or theheadrest384 of thepassenger seat382.Storage compartment389A ofpassenger seat382A, for example, is shown as being formed on thelower seatback386 of thepassenger seat382A. As desired, thestorage compartment389 can comprise an overhead storage compartment, a door storage compartment, a storage compartment provided underneath thepassenger seat382, or any other type of conventional storage compartment, such as a glove compartment, trunk, or closet, available in thepassenger vehicle390.
• If the associated with a passenger vehicle390 (shown inFIGS. 2A-B) such as anaircraft390B (shown inFIG. 2B), theadvertisement system400 advantageously can be configured for use with an vehicle information system300 (shown inFIGS. 2A-B) installed aboard thepassenger vehicle390 as illustrated inFIG. 5A. As desired, theadvertisement content source410 can be provided as amedia server system310A that can be can be separate from the vehicle information system300 (as shown inFIG. 1A) and/or at least partially integrated with thevehicle information system300 as shown inFIG. 5A. Thereby, theadvertisement content source410 can operate as an advertisement-server system and can present targetedadvertisement content210A to passengers (or users)412 traveling aboard theaircraft390B. Use of theadvertisement content source410 as an advertisement-server system facilitates management of one or more advertisement-sales systems (or networks) that intend to provideadvertisement content210A to thepassengers412 traveling aboard theaircraft390B. Theadvertisement content source410, when used as an advertisement-server system, likewise can manage sales and/or trafficking of theadvertisement content210A across one or more airlines at the same time.
• As shown inFIG. 5A, theadvertisement system400 can include a terrestrial (or ground-side)portion400A and an aircraft-based (or air-side)portion400B. Theterrestrial portion400A of theadvertisement system400 is shown as including an advertisement-servingsystem420, such as an advertisement agency and/or publisher advertisement-serving system. The advertisement-servingsystem420 can communicate with an advertisement (or local)console422 and/or can communicate with one or moreremote console systems430 in any conventional manner. Exemplaryremote console systems430 can include an advertisement agency (or brand)console430A and/or anairline console430B. Theadvertisement agency console430A can provideoriginal advertisement content210A to the advertisement-servingsystem420 for further distribution via theadvertisement system400; whereas, theairline console430B can provide the advertisement-servingsystem420 with passenger, flight, and other information for preselectedaircraft390B and/or flights. As illustrated inFIG. 5A, the advertisement-servingsystem420 can communicate with at least one of theremote console systems430 via theInternet310C.
• The aircraft-basedportion400B of theadvertisement system400 is shown as including theadvertisement content source410 and thevehicle information system300. In other words, theadvertisement content source410 can be provided as acontent server system310A of thevehicle information system300. Theadvertisement content source410 receives theadvertisement content210A, including targetedadvertisement content210A, from the terrestrial advertisement-servingsystem420 and providesuser response210R to the advertisement-servingsystem420. Theterrestrial portion400A and the aircraft-basedportion400B of theadvertisement system400 can communicate in the manner set forth in the above-referenced co-pending U.S. patent applications: entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ROUTING COMMUNICATION SIGNALS VIA A DATA DISTRIBUTION NETWORK,” Ser. No. 11/277,896, filed on Mar. 29, 2006; entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR RECEIVING BROADCAST CONTENT ON A MOBILE PLATFORM DURING INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL,” Ser. No. 11/269,378, filed on Nov. 7, 2005; and entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR RECEIVING BROADCAST CONTENT ON A MOBILE PLATFORM DURING TRAVEL,” application Ser. No. 12/237,253, filed on Sep. 24, 2008.
• Theadvertisement content210A preferably is filtered based upon a predetermined filtering criteria such thatsuitable advertisement content210A is provided to thevehicle information system300. For example, theadvertisement content210A can be filtered such that theadvertisement content210A includes updated and/or predetermined advertisement content for apreselected aircraft390B and/or flight segment. The filteredadvertisement content210A thereby can be provided to thevehicle information system300. As desired, theadvertisement content210A can be at least partially filtered by the advertisement-servingsystem420 prior to transmission to thevehicle information system300, by theadvertisement content source410 after transmission, or by both.
• Theadvertisement content source410 likewise can select theadvertisement content210A to be presented to each system user (or passenger)412. Preferably, theadvertisement content210A to be presented to eachpassenger412 is filtered (or targeted) based upon a predetermined targeting criteria (or rules) such that targetedadvertisement content210A is provided to eachsystem user412 traveling aboard theaircraft390B. An advertisement campaign thereby can be shown tosystem users412 that match a specific audience profile that is associated with the predetermined targeting criteria. The predetermined targeting criteria, for example, can be based upon passenger information, passenger seat (or service) class information, flight information, and/or other information and/or can be provided via theairline console430B. Exemplary flight information can include an origin and/or a destination of the flight. The targetedadvertisement content210A can be uniform and/or different among thepassengers412.
• Thevehicle information system300 can present the targetedadvertisement content210A to thepassengers412. In other words, a video portion of the targetedadvertisement content210A can be presented via the video presentation system362 (shown inFIGS. 4A-B) and/or an audio portion of the targetedadvertisement content210A can be presented via the audio presentation system364 (shown inFIGS. 4A-B) at the passenger seats382 (shown inFIGS. 4A-B) of theaircraft390B. Eachpassenger412 can select which, if any, of the targetedadvertisement content210A to view. The effectiveness of the advertisement campaign advantageously can be increased by having theadvertisement system400 present the targetedadvertisement content210A to users (or aircraft passengers)412. The return on investment (ROI) for such advertisement campaigns likewise can increased if the targetedadvertisement content210A sold based upon presentation of the advertisement impression630 (shown inFIG. 5B) and/or presentation of the targetedadvertisement content210A.
• Anexemplary menu system600 for presenting the targetedadvertisement content210A to thepassengers412 is illustrated inFIG. 5B. Themenu system600 can be presented via thevideo presentation system362 of thevehicle information system300 and can include a logo (or other branding information)610 of the operator of theaircraft390B. Themenu system600 is shown as presenting a plurality ofmenu options620, such asmenu options620A-H, that are associated with viewing content210 (shown inFIGS. 2A-B and4A-B) that can be presented via thevehicle information system300.Exemplary viewing content210 that can be associated with themenu options620 can includemovies620A, television (live and/or time delayed)620B,music620C, games620D, content suitable forchildren620E, flight tracking620F,marketplace content620G, and/orother viewing content620H. Themenu options620 likewise can include control options. Menu option620I, for example, can be used to turn off thevideo presentation system362.
• Themenu system600 likewise can include at least oneadvertisement impression630. Theadvertisement impression630 can comprise any conventional advertisement impression, such as a banner advertisement and/or an advertisement button, that can be activated (or selected) by a users (or passengers)412 (shown inFIG. 5A). When activated, theadvertisement impression630 can enable thevehicle information system300 to present the associatedadvertisement content210A that is available from theadvertisement content source410. Although shown and described as comprising selected menu features for purposes of illustration only, themenu system600 can be provided in any conventional manner.
• Returning briefly toFIG. 5A, theadvertisement system400 can measure the effectiveness of theadvertisement content210A presented to thepassengers412 in the manner discussed above. Theadvertisement content source410 can receive auser response210R as a measure of the effectiveness of theadvertisement content210A. If an advertisement impressions630 (shown inFIG. 5B) is associated with the targetedadvertisement content210A and the advertisement impression is presented to a selectedpassenger412, thepassenger412 can select (and view) the associatedadvertisement content210A by activating the advertisement impression. Theuser response210R thereby can include a number of advertisement impressions presented by thevehicle information system300 and/or a number of associatedadvertisement content210A selected for viewing. Theadvertisement content source410 can compile theuser response210R and can provide theuser response210R to the advertisement-servingsystem420. The advertisement-servingsystem420, in turn, can provide theuser response210R to the respective advertisement agency consoles430A in a conventional data format.
• As such, use of thevehicle information system300 can be commercialized, improving advertiser access topassengers412, while enhancing the passenger experience. Theadvertisement system400 thereby can advantageously resolve the fragmentation problems with conventional information systems by aggregating the audience of passengers (or system users)412 and/or the inventory of theadvertisement content210A. The complexity inherent in conventional information systems can be simplified by advertisement serving tools of theadvertisement system400, wherein the advertisement serving tools can simplify purchases made via theadvertisement system400. Theadvertisement system400 likewise can resolve the lack of standards of conventional information systems by adopting existing standards, such as the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) standard, for theterrestrial portion400A and/or the aircraft-basedportion400B of theadvertisement system400. Exemplary standards can comprise global standards, including global standards regarding pricing, packaging, creative advertisement units, measurement ofuser response210R, technology platforms, business models, and/or technical operations. Alternatively, and/or additionally, the lack of standards associated with conventional information systems can be addressed via independent auditing of theadvertisement system400.
• FIG. 6 shows a preferred embodiment of theadvertisement system400 as configured for use with avehicle information system300 installed aboard apassenger vehicle390, such as anaircraft390B. Theadvertisement content source410 of theadvertisement system400 can be in communication with at least onecontent source310 such as anadvertisement database system416 and/or a viewing content (or media)database system310D. Being provided as conventional database systems, theadvertisement database system416 is configured to store and/or retrieve (or provide)advertisement content210A; whereas, themedia database system310D can store and/or retrieve (or provide)viewing content210. In other words, theadvertisement content source410 can exchange theadvertisement content210A with theadvertisement database system416 and/or can exchange theviewing content210 with themedia database system310D.
• Theadvertisement content source410 likewise is illustrated as being in communication with a user (or passenger)interface system360 of thevehicle information system300. Being provided in the manner set forth in more detail above with reference toFIGS. 4A-B, thepassenger interface system360 is associated with a selectedpassenger seat382 and/or can include avideo presentation system362, anaudio presentation system364, and/or auser input system366 for enabling a system user (or passenger)412 (shown inFIG. 1B) to interact with thevehicle information system300. Thepassenger interface system360 is shown as including aniCore system360A and/or a digital signal processing (DSP)system360B. Thepassenger interface system360 likewise can communicate with amedia server system310A of thevehicle information system300.
• Operation of theadvertisement system400 ofFIG. 6 is illustrated with reference toFIGS. 7A-Z, whereinadvertisement content210A is included withviewing content210 selected for presentation at apassenger seat382. Turning toFIG. 7A, a system user (or passenger)412 (shown inFIG. 1B) associated with thepassenger seat382 uses theuser interface system360 of thevehicle information system300 to selectviewing content210, such as amovie210M, for presentation at thepassenger seat382.FIG. 7B shows that theuser interface system360 communicates with theadvertisement content source410 to initiate generation of an aggregate play list440 (shown inFIG. 7D) for presenting the selectedviewing content210. Initiating the generation of theaggregate play list440, theadvertisement content source410 can communicate with themedia database system310D to request one or more aggregate content items444 (shown inFIG. 7D). Themedia database system310D can provide theaggregate play list440 to theadvertisement content source410 as illustrated inFIG. 7D.
• Theaggregate play list440 preferably includes a plurality ofaggregate content items444. Eachaggregate content item444 can be associated with a content (or MID) identification indicia442A, aviewing time duration442B, and/or acontent type442C. As shown inFIG. 7D, for example, theaggregate play list440 can include threeaggregate content items444A-C. If associated with fixedadvertisement content210F (shown inFIG. 7K), the firstaggregate content item444A can be associated with acontent type442C of “FixedAd.” The firstaggregate content item444A likewise is shown as having aviewing time duration442B of thirty seconds and as being associated with acontent identification indicia442A of “3001.” The fixedadvertisement content210F comprise targetedadvertisement content210A and/oradvertisement content210A that is presented regardless of user preferences.
• Having an undefinedviewing time duration442B, the secondaggregate content item444B ofFIG. 7D is illustrated as being associated with acontent type442C of “AdSpot” and with acontent identification indicia442A of “9000.” Theadvertisement content source410 can define theviewing time duration442B upon selecting theadvertisement content210A to be associated with the secondaggregate content item444B. Themovie210M can be associated with the thirdaggregate content item444C, which has acontent type442C of “Movie” The firstaggregate content item444A of the thirdaggregate content item444C is shown as having aviewing time duration442B of seven thousand, two hundred seconds (or two hours) and as being associated with acontent identification indicia442A of “5004.”
• FIG. 7E shows that theuser interface system360 can communicate with theadvertisement content source410 to facilitate selection of theadvertisement content210A to be presented with the fixedadvertisement content210F (shown inFIG. 7K) and theadvertisement content210A. To select the targetedadvertisement content210A, theadvertisement content source410 communicates with theadvertisement database system416 to retrieve the targetedadvertisement content210A as shown inFIG. 7F. Theadvertisement content source410 completes generation of theaggregate play list440 by inserting the targetedadvertisement content210A into theaggregate play list440 as illustrated inFIG. 7G. The secondaggregate content item444B thereby can be updated to include acontent identification indicia442A of “8002,” aviewing time duration442B of forty-five seconds, and acontent type442C of “Advert.” The completedaggregate play list440 is shown inFIG. 7H.
• Turning toFIG. 7I, theadvertisement content source410 communicates with thepassenger interface system360 to initiate presentation of theviewing content210 associated with theaggregate play list440.FIG. 7J shows thepassenger interface system360 communicating with themedia server system310A to access theviewing content210 associated with theaggregate play list440. Thevehicle information system300 can generate and/or present aplayback timeline450 to illustrate theviewing content210 to be presented. As shown inFIG. 7K, theplayback timeline450 can illustrate that the fixedadvertisement content210F is scheduled for presentation during a thirty-second time interval extending from time t=0 seconds to time t=30 seconds. The targetedadvertisement content210A likewise can be scheduled for presentation during a forty-five-second time interval extending from time t=30 seconds to time t=75 seconds; whereas, themovie210M, can be scheduled for presentation during a seven thousand, two hundred-second time interval extending from time t=75 seconds to time t=7275 seconds.
• As shown inFIG. 7K, thepassenger interface system360 can begin to present the fixedadvertisement content210F beginning at time t=0 seconds. Themedia server system310A preferably streams the fixedadvertisement content210F to thepassenger interface system360 throughout the thirty-second time interval extending from time t=0 seconds to time t=30 seconds. The fixedadvertisement content210F thereby is presented via thepassenger interface system360 during the thirty-second time interval extending from time t=0 seconds to time t=30 seconds as illustrated inFIGS. 7K-M.
• At time t=30.01 seconds, thepassenger interface system360 can begin to present the targetedadvertisement content210A via thepassenger interface system360 as shown inFIG. 7N. Thepassenger interface system360 likewise can communicates auser response210R (shown inFIG. 5A) to theadvertisement content source410, which can provide theuser response210R to the advertisement-serving system420 (shown inFIG. 5A) in the manner set forth in more detail above. Theuser response210R can represent that the targetedadvertisement content210A has been presented. Themedia server system310A preferably streams the targetedadvertisement content210A to thepassenger interface system360 throughout the forty-five-second time interval extending from time t=30 seconds to time t=75 seconds. The targetedadvertisement content210A thereby is presented via thepassenger interface system360 during the forty-five-second time interval extending from time t=30 seconds to time t=75 seconds as illustrated inFIGS. 7N-P.
• FIG. 7Q shows that the system user (or passenger)412 (shown inFIG. 1B) can activate (or select) the associated advertisement impression630 (shown inFIG. 5B) at time t=60 seconds. Upon activating theadvertisement impression630, thevehicle information system300 can suspend presentation of the targetedadvertisement content210A as illustrated inFIG. 7R. In other words, themedia server system310A can suspend streaming the targetedadvertisement content210A to thepassenger interface system360. As shown inFIG. 7S, thepassenger interface system360 can communicate auser response210R (shown inFIG. 5A) to theadvertisement content source410. Theuser response210R can represent that the targetedadvertisement content210A has been accessed via activation of theadvertisement impression630. As discussed in more detail above, theadvertisement content source410 can provide theuser response210R to the advertisement-serving system420 (shown inFIG. 5A).
• Turning toFIG. 7T, theadvertisement content source410 can receive theuser response210R (shown inFIG. 5A) and can provide enhancedadvertisement content210A available from a micro-site. Theadvertisement content source410 provides theenhanced advertisement content210A to thepassenger interface system360 for presentation. Thepassenger interface system360 then presents theenhanced advertisement content210A as shown inFIG. 7U. Thepassenger interface system360 can present theenhanced advertisement content210A in its entirety, and/or, as illustrated inFIG. 7V, the presentation of theenhanced advertisement content210A can be terminated by the system user (or passenger)412 (shown inFIG. 1B).
• Once the presentation of theenhanced advertisement content210A is completed and/or terminated, thevehicle information system300 can return to presenting theviewing content210 in accordance with theaggregate play list440. Thepassenger interface system360 can access theaggregate play list440 as shown inFIG. 7W and can communicate with themedia server system310A as shown inFIG. 7X. Thepassenger interface system360 thereby can request the remainingviewing content210 from themedia server system310A. Turning toFIG. 7Y, themedia server system310A resumes streaming theadvertisement content210A to thepassenger interface system360 in accordance in accordance with theaggregate play list440. Thepassenger interface system360 thereby can present the remaining fifteen seconds of theadvertisement content210A during the fifteen-second time interval extending from time t=60 seconds to time t=75 seconds and then proceeds to present themovie210M during the seven thousand, two hundred-second time interval extending from time t=75 seconds to time t=7275 seconds as illustrated inFIG. 7Z.
• Thevehicle information system300 thereby presents eachaggregate content item444 as set forth in theaggregate play list440. Although theaggregate content items444 can be presented in any conventional manner, thevehicle information system300 preferably does not present theaggregate content items444 individual. In other words, theaggregate content items444 preferably are presented as parts of theaggregate play list440. Themedia server system310A receives theaggregate play list440 from thepassenger interface system360 and builds theaggregate viewing content210G (shown inFIG. 8). Themedia server system310A can collate theindividual viewing content210, such as the fixedadvertisement content210F, the targetedadvertisement content210A, and/or themovie210M, and streams theaggregate viewing content210G, including any advertisement insertions, to thepassenger interface system360 for presentation. Thepassenger interface system360 can determine which part of theaggregate viewing content210G has been presented and/or is currently being presented based, for example, upon theviewing content210 that is currently being presented.
• FIG. 8 is a detail drawing illustrating an embodiment of the advertisement system ofFIG. 6. As shown inFIG. 8, themedia database system310D can generate theaggregate viewing content210G in accordance with theaggregate play list440. Theaggregate viewing content210G is illustrated as comprising a sequence of selectedviewing content210. In the manner set forth in more detail above with reference toFIGS. 7A-Z, theaggregate play list440 can include any suitable number of aggregate content items444 (shownFIG. 7D). Theaggregate viewing content210G ofFIG. 8, for example, can include the fixedadvertisement content210F, such as an airline image, and the targetedadvertisement content210A.Other viewing content210, such as themovie210M, selected by the system user (or passenger)412 (shown inFIG. 1B) can be included with theaggregate viewing content210G.
• Theadvertisement content source410 can receive theaggregate play list440 from themedia database system310D and, as desired, modify theaggregate play list440. Thereby, theadvertisement content source410 can add and/or remove selectedviewing content210 from theaggregate play list440 and/or modify the sequence of theviewing content210 within theaggregate play list440. Theadvertisement content source410 can provide the resultantaggregate play list440 to thepassenger interface system360 of thevehicle information system300. Thepassenger interface system360 thereby can present theviewing content210 in accordance with the resultantaggregate play list440 at thepassenger seat382. When playback of theviewing content210 is initiated, thepassenger interface system360 can provide the resultantaggregate play list440 to themedia server system310A, which can retrieve the associatedviewing content210. Themedia server system310A can provide (or stream) theviewing content210 to thepassenger interface system360 via a viewing content streaming system460.
• The streamedviewing content210 can be presented via thevideo presentation system362 and/or theaudio presentation system364 of thepassenger interface system360. When presentation of the streamedviewing content210 is initiated, thepassenger interface system360 provides auser response210R to ausage logging system418 of theadvertisement content source410. Theadvertisement content source410 can provide theuser response210R to the advertisement-serving system420 (shown inFIG. 5A) in the manner set forth in more detail above. Theuser response210R can represent that the targetedadvertisement content210A has been presented.
• Theuser input system366 of thepassenger interface system360 can enable thesystem user412 to activate (or otherwise select)advertisement content210A presented by thepassenger interface system360. If thesystem user412 selects an advertisement impression630 (shown inFIG. 5B), thepassenger interface system360 can generate anotheruser response210R for initiating presentation of the associatedadvertisement content210A. Theadvertisement content source410 can include a Lookup Click andServe system419 that receives and records (or measures) theuser response210R. Theadvertisement content source410 thereby can, at369A, instruct thepassenger interface system360 to redirect thesystem user412 to enhancedadvertisement content210A available from a predetermined micro-site. When presentation of theenhanced advertisement content210A is complete (or terminated by the system user412), thepassenger interface system360, at369B, can exit the predetermined micro-site and resume playback of theviewing content210 associated with theaggregate play list440. At369C, thevehicle information system300 then can proceed with presentation of theviewing content210 associated with theaggregate play list440.
• As desired, the inventory ofavailable advertisement content210A can be increased by providing theadvertisement system400 with additional brandedviewing content210. Exemplary categories of brandedviewing content210 can include travel (and destinations), lifestyle (such as food, drink, and/or fashion), sports, business (and finance), entertainment (including puzzles, comics and/or games), health (and well being), literature (including books and book reviews), automotive (including driving and car reviews), technology, and/or children content. Theadvertisement content210A advantageously can be presented via interactivepassenger interface systems360, such as touchscreen display systems, to increase the inventory of mostvaluable advertisement content210A. The inventory of mostvaluable advertisement content210A likewise can be increased by presenting a larger number of advertisements per page and/or by increasing a refresh rate on static interactive pages. As desired, theadvertisement system400 can support price differentiation for impressions630 (shown inFIG. 5B) provided topassengers seats382 associated in different passenger seat classes, such as first class, business class, and economy class. Additionally, and/or alternatively, selected functions of thevehicle information system300 can be sponsored by advertisers. Sponsorships for the selected system functions, for example, can be auctioned off among a group of advertisers.
• The described embodiments are susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, and specific examples thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the described embodiments are not to be limited to the particular forms or methods disclosed, but to the contrary, the present disclosure is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives.

Claims (37)

1. A vehicle information system suitable for installation aboard a passenger vehicle, comprising:

a content source;

a user interface system that includes a user input system for selecting viewing content available from said content source and a content presentation system; and

an advertisement content source that combines advertising content with the selected viewing content to generate an aggregate play list and that provides the aggregate play list to said user interface system for presentation of the advertising content and the selected viewing content in accordance with the aggregate play list via said content presentation system,

wherein, during presentation of the aggregate play list, said user interface system provides a user response to the presented advertisement content to said advertisement content source, said advertisement content source compiling the user response.

2. The vehicle information system ofclaim 1, wherein said content source comprise a media server system installed aboard the passenger vehicle.

3. The vehicle information system ofclaim 1, wherein said content source is disposed remotely from the passenger vehicle.

4. The vehicle information system ofclaim 1, further comprising a content distribution system that supports communication among said content source, said user interface system, and said advertisement content source.

5. The vehicle information system ofclaim 4, wherein said content distribution system comprises a wired content distribution system.

6. The vehicle information system ofclaim 1, wherein the advertising content is selected from a group consisting of a banner advertisement, a pop-up advertisement, an advertisement button, a skyscraper, and a micro-site.

7. The vehicle information system ofclaim 1, wherein said content presentation system includes an audio presentation system that presents an audio portion of the selected viewing content and the advertising content associated with the aggregate play list.

8. The vehicle information system ofclaim 1, wherein said content presentation system includes a video presentation system that presents a video portion of the selected viewing content and the advertising content associated with the aggregate play list.

9. The vehicle information system ofclaim 1, wherein said video presentation system presents a selectable advertisement impression, and wherein said user input system can activate the selectable advertisement impression to initiate presentation of the advertisement content.

10. The vehicle information system ofclaim 9, wherein said user interface system provides the user response to the presented advertisement content upon activation of the selectable advertisement impression.

11. The vehicle information system ofclaim 1, wherein said user interface system provides the user response to the presented advertisement content upon initiation of the presentation of the aggregate play list.

12. The vehicle information system ofclaim 1, wherein said advertisement content source communicates with an advertisement-serving system that provides the advertisement content to said advertisement content source and that receives the user response from said advertisement content source.

13. The vehicle information system ofclaim 12, wherein the advertisement-serving system comprises a terrestrial advertisement-serving system.

14. The vehicle information system ofclaim 12, wherein the advertisement-serving system manages a plurality of advertisement-sales systems associated with a plurality of advertisers, each of the advertisement-sales systems providing the advertisement content of the relevant advertiser to the advertisement-serving system and receiving the user response associated with the relevant advertiser from the advertisement-serving system.

15. The vehicle information system ofclaim 12, wherein the advertisement-serving system provides the advertisement content to a plurality of advertisement content sources associated with a plurality of vehicle information systems.

16. The vehicle information system ofclaim 15, wherein the advertisement-serving system simultaneously provides the advertisement content to said plurality of said advertisement content sources.

17. The vehicle information system ofclaim 15, wherein the advertisement-serving system filters the advertisement content based upon a predetermined filtering criteria such that suitable advertisement content is provided to said advertisement content source.

18. The vehicle information system ofclaim 12, wherein the advertisement-serving system analyzes the user response to measure an effectiveness of the advertisement content for a selected advertiser and provides advertisement effectiveness information to the selected advertiser.

19. The vehicle information system ofclaim 1, wherein said advertisement content source filters the advertisement content based upon a predetermined filtering criteria such that targeted advertisement content is provided to said user interface system.

20. The vehicle information system ofclaim 1, wherein the advertisement content is provided in an Internet-standard advertisement format.

21. The vehicle information system ofclaim 1, wherein the vehicle information system is suitable for installation aboard an aircraft.

22. A method for providing advertisement content aboard via a vehicle information system, comprising:

providing the vehicle information system having:

a media server system; and

a user interface system that includes a user input system for selecting viewing content available from said media server system and a content presentation system;

combining advertising content with the selected viewing content to generate an aggregate play list;

providing the aggregate play list to said user interface system for presentation of the advertising content and the selected viewing content in accordance with the aggregate play list via said content presentation system; and

during presentation of the aggregate play list,

receiving a user response to the presented advertisement content from the user interface system; and

compiling the user response.

23. The method ofclaim 22, further comprising filtering the advertisement content based upon a predetermined filtering criteria such that targeted advertisement content is provided to said user interface system

24. The method ofclaim 22, further comprising receiving the advertisement content from an advertisement-serving system and providing the user response to the advertisement-serving system.

25. An advertisement system suitable for use with a vehicle information system having a media server system and a user interface system that includes a user input system for selecting viewing content available from the media server system and a content presentation system, said advertisement system comprising:

an advertisement content source that combines advertising content with the selected viewing content to generate an aggregate play list and that provides the aggregate play list to the user interface system for presentation of the advertising content and the selected viewing content in accordance with the aggregate play list via the content presentation system; and

an advertisement-serving system that provides the advertisement content to said advertisement content source,

wherein, during presentation of the aggregate play list, the user interface system provides a user response to the presented advertisement content to said advertisement-serving system via said advertisement content source, said advertisement-serving system compiling the user response.

26. The advertisement system ofclaim 25, wherein said advertisement content source is disposed adjacent to the vehicle information system.

27. The advertisement system ofclaim 26, wherein said advertisement content source and the vehicle information system are disposed in a passenger vehicle.

28. The advertisement system ofclaim 27, wherein said advertisement content source and the vehicle information system are disposed in an aircraft.

29. The advertisement system ofclaim 25, wherein said advertisement-serving system comprises a terrestrial advertisement-serving system.

30. The advertisement system ofclaim 25, wherein said advertisement-serving system manages a plurality of advertisement-sales systems associated with a plurality of advertisers, each of the advertisement-sales systems providing the advertisement content of the relevant advertiser to said advertisement-serving system and receiving the user response associated with the relevant advertiser from said advertisement-serving system.

31. The advertisement system ofclaim 25, wherein said advertisement-serving system provides the advertisement content to a plurality of advertisement content sources.

32. The advertisement system ofclaim 31, wherein said advertisement-serving system simultaneously provides the advertisement content to said plurality of said advertisement content sources.

33. The advertisement system ofclaim 31, wherein said plurality of said advertisement content sources are associated with a plurality of vehicle information systems.

34. The advertisement system ofclaim 31, wherein said advertisement-serving system filters the advertisement content based upon a predetermined filtering criteria such that suitable advertisement content is provided to said advertisement content source.

35. The advertisement system ofclaim 25, wherein said advertisement-serving system analyzes the user response to measure an effectiveness of the advertisement content for a selected advertiser and provides advertisement effectiveness information to the selected advertiser.

36. The advertisement system ofclaim 25, wherein said advertisement content source filters the advertisement content based upon a predetermined filtering criteria such that targeted advertisement content is provided to the user interface system.

37. An aircraft, comprising:

a fuselage and a plurality of passenger seats arranged within the fuselage; and

a vehicle information system, said vehicle information system coupled with said fuselage and comprising:

a headend system that provides overall system control functions for the vehicle information system and that includes a content source;

a user interface system that includes a user input system for selecting viewing content available from said content source and a content presentation system; and

a content distribution system that distributes the selected viewing content throughout the vehicle information system; and

an advertisement content source that combines advertising content with the selected viewing content to generate an aggregate play list and that provides the aggregate play list to said user interface system for presentation of the advertising content and the selected viewing content in accordance with the aggregate play list via said content presentation system,

wherein, during presentation of the aggregate play list, said user interface system provides a user response to the presented advertisement content to said advertisement content source, said advertisement content source compiling the user response.

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